Food.com
You must try this for your holiday turkey, you will not be disappointed! This is the only way we make turkey, EVER! Especially since oven space is valuable around the holidays. Why high heat? Heat cooks. Opening the cavity will allow the heat to cook the bird from the inside as well as the outside. Seasoning? Why? Herbs and spices create a crust on the skin that seals in the flavor and juices, you pick what seasoning. Breast side down? Why? The rack keeps the turkey from steaming on the bottom of the pan. Why metal? It conducts heat better than glass or ceramic. Why foil? High heat can cook too well. Loosely covering the top of the turkey will keep it from burning. Why liquid? To catch the juices and fat as they drip from the turkey so that they will not burn from the high heat of the oven and stick on the bottom of the pan. You will be able to use this liquid as a base for your gravy. 5 rules for HHT: 1) Don't salt!!!!!!!! Why suck the moisture out? 2)Don't let the bird touch the pan! We want to roast, not stew. When it sits on the bottom of the pan, instead of a rack, or it is squeezed into a too small pan, the hot air is unable to envelop the turkey, causing it to cook in it's own juices 3)Don't Baste the bird! It will break caramelization, slow down cooking and use up the pan juices 4) Don't poke with a fork to turn or check the bird! Piercing the meat will allow the flavorful meat juices to escape 5) Don't cover the bird with cheesecloth! We don't care what Martha says, covering the bird with cheesecloth will prevent browning. It will make a mighty tasting cheesecloth, though, if you are into that kinda thing! Then spoon the stuffing in. What about stuffing? Use Chef Marc's easy method: Using oven mitts, place the turkey, cavity up, into a five-gallon plastic container From Chef Marc on KGO-AM.
